Vendor Review & GIVEAWAY!: Martha Stewart Cricut Cake

I was recently lucky enough to get the chance to test drive the newest toy available – the Martha Stewart Cricut Cake machine. This is a match made in heaven! I literally heard angels singing the day it arrived – I am pretty sure my FedEx guy thought I was nuts. The machine came with everything I needed to get started (minus the food materials):

A 12″x12″ food-safe cutting mat (complete with grid marks in inches and centimeters, as well as circles in inch diameters up to 12″)

Power adapter, several manuals/quick start guides and a keypad protector (also made of silicone and designed to go over the entire display and keypad)

In addition to all of that the machine came with the All Occasion cartridge (I believe this comes with the purchase of all machines); mine also included the Elegant Cake Art cartridge (both are shown below).

There are several other gorgeous cartridges available. The cartridges all retail individually for around $69.95, although you can find them cheaper at some online stores. The machine itself retails for approximately $400.

All Occasion Cartridge

Elegant Cake Art cartridge

The Martha Stewart Cricut Cake machine itself is absolutely gorgeous. A total kitchen appliance work of art. My husband is a nut for anything kitchen-related, but never crafty stuff. However when I pulled it out of the box even he was impressed! One great feature is the pop-up digital display. That makes viewing it from any angle very handy. You can also see, in the picture below, how the silicone keypad protector hangs down over the keypad area slightly.

The Cricut Cake has all of the functions that its paper-cutting cousins do, plus a few extra. The basic functions (Load/Unload, Real Dial Size, Shift, Set Cut Area, etc) are all pretty self explanatory. There are 6 new gray keys in the upper left corner of the keypad. These “Creative Feature” keys vary between cartridges, but basically they allow you to create alphabets, phrases, and even more decorations.

The first thing I tried in my machine was cookie dough. This is the thing I was most excited about – churning out tons of cookies just in time for the holidays! I did both made-from-scratch cookie dough as well as the pre-made roll of Pillsbury cookie dough (you just add flour to it to stiffen it up a bit). I did extensive research online before I tried this to see what tips other people had to offer. And I took a few deep breaths, because even the ProvoCraft instructions say to expect a learning curve.

I rolled my dough out as thin as I possibly could to still have cookies. It was about 1/8″ thick – not much wider than a nickel (which I read was the ideal height to be under). As recommended by the people at Provo Craft (but not written in the instructions; I spoke to them directly) and several people online, I froze my rolled out dough for 3-5 minutes before attempting to cut it.

As you can see, it started cutting beautifully. But the dough thaws quickly (very, very quickly) and as it curved back around it started to get a bit jagged. I’m not sure it would be able to cut a whole sheet of these because although it cuts quickly, the machine just can’t cut faster than the dough thaws.

The cookie turned out decently; it’s pictured above in the undecorated form. A word of caution – refreeze the dough before you attempt to remove it from the cutting mat. Otherwise the dough will tear or wrinkle in on itself because it is so thin.

Next, I tried fondant, both made from scratch and the store bought Wilton sheets. Like the cookie dough, I rolled it out to about 1/8″. That did NOT do the trick even though I froze it before cutting the edges were still jagged. I emailed the super helpful people at Provo Craft again, and they recommended rolling it out thin enough to barely see the grid lines beneath it. I’ll admit I thought they were nuts, but it worked like a charm! The same thing holds true for the fondant as the cookie dough, though. You need to refreeze the fondant before attempting to take it off the sheet.

It didn’t turn out as smooth as I wanted it to when I put it on the cupcake, but that’s because the top was slightly rounded. But as you can see with the butterfly below, rolling out the fondant super thin and freezing it for about 20 minutes prior to cutting it made all the difference.

After five minutes out of the freezer, I tried to cut the more intricate doily design shown below. The edges cut just fine, as did the majority of the smaller inner circles. But when I tried to get it off the mat it just sort of fell apart. This happened with all of the more intricate designs I did. I’m not sure if I didn’t let them freeze enough, if I rolled it out too thin, or what I did wrong.I also tried some of the longer designs to make a border to go around cakes. I’ve seen some gorgeous ones online, but again for me they just didn’t work.

I didn’t try gum paste, which seems to yield amazing results. I did get these two tips directly from ProvoCraft (and they apply to any material you are cutting): 1) Roll it out as thin as you can, so that the lines on the cutting mat are barely visible beneath the material; and 2) Freeze the fondant or gum paste for 30 minutes prior to cutting it. Those two things make all the difference, I promise!

A few tips I learned through trial and error:

Invest in more than one 12″x12″ cutting mat. This way you don’t have to wait while you freeze (or refreeze) your fondant, cookie dough, or gum paste.

Be very careful to not go over the guidelines on the edges of the cutting mat (trim them back if you do) – if the roller picks them up it’s a mess!

Roll your material out as thin as you can get it, and then roll it a little more. It works best to roll it directly on the cutting mat, so nothing tears when you have to transfer it.

Always remember to apply plenty of shortening to the cutting mat.

Refreeze the material before removing it from the mat – this helps avoid human error 😉

And now for the cleanup. Really, who likes this part? I know I don’t. But the Cricut Cake surprised me – it cleans up like a dream. Soooo easy! The blade can go in the basket (remember the tea steeper I mentioned?) and straight into the dishwasher — just the blade, not the housing. All of the mats and silicone covers can be washed with warm soapy water, and clean up really easily. As for the machine itself, there is a small brush about the size of a toothbrush, with stiffer bristles, that will brush off dried food particles from the rollers. Just press the load/unload mat button to move them. Once the rollers are clean, you can wipe them with a damp cloth.

According to the ProvoCraft FAQ section on cleaning, it may be necessary to manually move the carriage (cutting part) to the left side of the machine to reach the right side rollers. If you do this, the carriage will return to the proper place once you turn the machine back on. If only cleaning the rest of my kitchen was this quick and easy!

Overall, this is a great machine. The variety of cartridges will create beautiful art for cakes, cookies, and cupcakes. I’ll be totally honest and say that the learning curve is pretty steep, but with practice and some tinkering you can get good results. I think this is an excellent addition to the kitchen of any serious baker! The ProvoCraft site has a fabulous FAQ section with all sorts of tips, hints, and suggestions about the machine, and if you contact them directly they are equally as helpful (and friendly)! I’m really glad I got to try it out!

Here is a video demonstration about the Cricut Cake machines:

To wrap it all up, here are some pros and cons:

Pros:

Very sleek design – it looks great on the counter

Easy to clean

Allows you to make uniform design elements for cake/cupcake decorating, as well as cookies.

Cons:

Only comes with one cutting mat, which can slow things down

It is necessary to do reading online in addition to the manual before operating the machine

Requires a lot of counter space to use. The recommendation is 12″ clearance from the edge of your table/counter and 24″ behind for proper movement of the mats.

GIVEAWAYThe kind folks at Provo Craft will be giving one lucky winner their very own Martha Stewart Cricut Cake! To enter, just leave a comment on one of the “Vendor Spotlight: Martha Stewart Cricut ” article. Answer any one of these questions in the Comments Section right below this article on our website.

Do what would you use the Martha Stewart Cricut Cake to cut? Are you a professional cake decorator or a hobbyist?

One comment per person, per article, please. You have until Sunday, November 21st 6pm CST to enter.

I do cake decorating for fun at the moment, have always considered starting a cupcake business. Maybe a machine like the Cricut cake might jump start me into do this. I would probably use it for this purpose.

I’m a hobbyist who just loves to bake… cupcakes, cakes, cookies, you name it I bake it! I would use this groovy machine to add that special detail to my creations that would make them stand out even more!

THis machine is just super cool – looks like so much fun. I honestly would give this machine to my sister in law (I have a cricut) and she is the cake decorator / baker in the family. Don’t get me wrong – I’d TOTALLY be over at her place to use it for special occasions like birthdays and everyday cupcake making 😉

I do the occasional cake decorating project for my kids for their bday parties, so this machine would definitely be VERY helpful :)! I would use it to make many different cakes and cupcakes for my kids school events, and bday parties for my kids and may be for my friends kids.

I would love to win this to give to my aunt. She could never be able to afford it with 4 kids and working full time and going home at night and making cakes to sell just to keep her family afloat. And with the cricut cartridges i already own, she could totally make awesome cakes!

I used to be a professional cake decorator 30 years ago. I wouldn’t have been able to imagine something like the Cricut cake. Nowadays, I make the occasional kid’s birthday cake and, if I am lucky, I’ll get to do a wedding cake.

Holy Cow, that’s an AMAZING giveaway! I would love a Cricut cake machine, as a hobbyist. I would love to make some beautiful cupcakes. I would also make cakes for family functions, and parties. I can only imagine the beautiful desserts that could be made with this machine!!!

I’m crossing my fingers big time on this one. I’ve been eying up the cricut cake for a while and would love to make themed cakes, cupcakes and cookies for your childrens birthdays and special occasions. I’m definitely a novice cake maker, but know the Cricut Cake would get a lot of use in my house.

I am not a professional cake decorator but two of my children have taken cake decorating classes so this would be a family project for sure! What a neat idea for cookies and all kinds of decorating. Love it!

I Love to bake. I am just a hobbyist but recently disabled and am looking into several “crafty” ventures I can do part time on days i feel good. The Cricut Cake would be fantastic to help me out! Thanks for the chance to win.

I will use the Martha Stewart Cricut Cake, to decorate any cake, cupcakes, cookies and many other edible creations on a more intricate, delicate and faster way. I’m a hobbyist, so any opportunity for making things easier on the creation of a master piece. I’m on. 😀

I work in a childrens clinic, these are specialty kids, (cancer, transplants and stuff like that, if I had this Cricut cake I would make cookies, cupcakes and cakes for them, and the nurses.Thanks for the chance to win.Bekah763@aol.com

I am not professional but have made and decorated many many cakes for many many years for family and friends Now I am a grandma and am still making and decorating cakes for my ever growing family and the occasional friend- this would certainly make my life a lot easier.

Wow, what an informative review! I’m a craft hobbyist and tend to avoid the kitchen. But, if I could combine my crafty gene with food, I’d be ecstatic! I’d love to use the machine for ‘cut out’ cookies and cupcake decorations. I think I’d become the coolest auntie in town!

I currently do not do a lot of cake decorating, I had carpel tunnel surgery and it makes doing it very hard. My hand is not as steady as it used to be. This product looks amazing for such situations, my son would love to use this with me and create amazing snacks for his classmates he would be the hit of parties being able to create cookies for different units in school.

Winning the Martha Stewart Circut Cake would mean the world to me. I make cookies and cakes for our community fund raisers (working on getting a Boys & Girls Club going right now) and I also want to start a cupcake business to help make ends meet and this fun product would be so helpful. Thank you for the opportunity to win this machine.

I would decorate cakes and cookies for the Holidays and Birthdays. I would love to have this machine. Please enter me in the Giveaway. I am a hobbyist. I have the other Cricut Machine and it’s great.Charlenecmlebel@sbcglobal.net

Wow! I took the first 3 cake courses and really enjoy decorating cakes! This machine is amazing!! Thanks for the 2 fabulous reviews with all the amazing creations you can do with this! What fun!!! The things I could create this year for Christmas! Endless!!!

I make and sell cakes with my friend, this would help a lot. This looks like an amazing machine, just not in our budget right now.What would I cut??… Designs for cakes, cupcakes and shortbread cookies.

Wow what a great idea using the pastry, I adore the white colour and love Martha Stewart and have loads of her books. I currently use cookie cutters to cut out my fondant and it never looks that good if i’m honest. Having a damaged hand dosent help either lol. I would really love this machine, you have no how much more simpler my life would be because of it.

I would start decorating cakes. I love to bake, just not the best at decorating. This would be PERFECT! Would also loan it to my office for bake sales, showers, etc. Would be so much fun. Thanks for the chance to win.

The cricut cake looks like so much fun. I would love to have it to cut out cookies and decorations for cupcakes. I am always making cupcakes for someone. Would be alot of fun to decorate them with cute cutouts 🙂

I’ve wanted to “play” with one of these to cut out monograms for cakes, cookies, cupcakes, brownies, etc.! Since my daughter does not like cake, being able to cut out fun cookies for her would be fantastic. I’m a hobbyist cake decorator who would love to step up my level of decorating.

I love surprising my grandkids and they think every cake is for a celebration so I would definitely use it for decorating cakes and cookies. I would also use it to decorate pie crusts, as of now I do it all by hand this would be huge!!!!I’m a hobbyist cake decorator and pie maker.

I am currently a hobbiest, hoping to become a professional one day. It would be a rewarding time to receive this and be able to produce good results to boost my confidence while continuing to learn cake decorating.

I’ve seen this machine in action & it really is incredible. I’m a hobby cake decorator but would love to step things up a bit and make my yummy cakes as pretty as they taste good… who knows maybe I can make it a business since the bakeries are closing around here there is a real need

I am just a hobbyist. I have the Cricut Expression for my scrapbooking and cardmaking, but have always wanted to try to Cricut Cake. I LOVE to bake and think it would be so much fun to try decorating a cake this way!cporter519 at yahoo dot com

Your review is great! Thank you for all the details. I have been wanting one of these for months! I would love to decorate the cupcakes and cookies for family and friends with all these awesome designs. I used to work in a bakery and can say this would be such a great addition to my hobby. Thank you again for the awesome chance!

If i were to win this machine, I’d cut fondant with it. I took the Wilton class and the hardest part was cutting out those little flowers. It would be great to have the Martha Stewart Cricut Cake so while its cutting, I could start edging the flowers. Make short work of it all!

I am a hobbyist cake decorator. It was just too time consuming to do it professionally. Maybe with this machine I could finally become a pro. 🙂

I am a hobbyist who loves doing fondant cakes. Cricut has combined 2 of my favorite things, making cakes & Martha Stewart into this amazing machine! I can only imagine how much easier it would be for me to make beautiful cakes, cupcakes and cookies. This machine would never stop running!

I would love to have the cricut cake machine. I have been decorating cakes off and on for 35 years.My hand are giving me some problems this would help me tremendously.My husband bought me the cricut expression for christmas. I really like it.